Verizon or AT&T: Which Will Deliver the Best iPhone Experience?

U.S. iPhone customers have been eagerly awaiting a Verizon-branded iPhone almost since day one.

Starting February 10, they’ll have that option. Verizon announced Tuesday that it would soon offer the iPhone 4 on its 3G network. The 16-GB model will cost $200 and a 32-GB model will go for $300, both with a two-year contract.

But will you want to make the switch? That depends on what’s important to you.

Here are a few things to consider in weighing which network to go with.

What did we miss? Ask your burning questions in the comments, and if we’re able to get answers, we’ll add them to this list.

Ability to Make and Hold a Call

If there’s one thing that AT&T has been criticized for, its the network’s frequently dropped calls. It’s not uncommon for iPhone users in busy metro areas, such as New York and San Francisco, to lose voice connections several times over the course of a 5- or 10-minute phone call.

Other AT&T handsets have the problem, based on anecdotal reports, but the iPhone seems to have it worst.

Whether it’s able to maintain that level of service if millions of iPhones flood its network is another question, however.

Advantage: Verizon

The iPhone’s Hardware Design

Some of the iPhone’s problems with voice calls and wireless data connections are attributable to the design of the phone itself.

Apple has acknowledged problems with the iPhone 4’s antenna design, which incorporates two different antennas around the external surface of the phone, one for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS, and the other for cellular voice and data. Sometimes, your hand can short-circuit the two antennas, hurting data performance, as well as leading to dropped calls.

However, AT&T’s dropped-call problem happens for many people even when the phone is in a case (preventing contact between your hand and the antennas) or when the phone is held delicately.

That means the problem lies either with AT&T’s network or with the internal circuitry of the iPhone itself. We know there are problems with AT&T’s congestion, because some of these dropped-call problems affect other handsets. But some might be due to the design of the iPhone. Apple in the past has acknowledged problems with the way the iPhone handles basic calls. If it runs into similar problems on Verizon’s CDMA network, customers of that carrier might wind up just as frustrated.

Advantage: Neither

4G Networks

Verizon is busy rolling out a 4G network based on LTE technology, which it says will deliver download speeds of 5-12 Mbps. It will cover 38 cities, reaching 110 million Americans, in 2011, Verizon says.

Meanwhile, AT&T has recently rebranded its HSPA+ network as a “4G” network, even though it previously referred to it as 3G. The network offers download speeds of 6 Mbps, the company claims. Over time, AT&T will also be adding LTE-based coverage.

However, neither company’s iPhone is compatible with any 4G network. It’s likely that Apple is taking a “wait and see” attitude to these new technologies, just as they did with 3G, and won’t release a 4G iPhone until it is more confident about coverage and reliability.

Advantage: Neither

3G Data Speeds

The iPhone that Verizon will be selling is not LTE-capable, so it’ll be limited to the company’s slower 3G network, which offers download speeds of 600 Kbps – 1.4 Mbps, according to Verizon. Independent tests published by PC World last spring put the speed closer to 800 Kbps on average.

Like Verizon’s, AT&T’s iPhone is not 4G capable, so it’s stuck with AT&T’s 3G network, which is based on HSPA (without the +) and UMTS. The company doesn’t say what speeds to expect from this network, but PC World‘s tests pegged it at 1.4 Mbps. Other tests have generally agreed with these results: AT&T’s 3G network is faster (when you can connect to it).

Advantage: AT&T

Geographic Coverage

Apple’s exclusive deal with AT&T provoked grumbling at first, because Verizon’s network covers a wider geographic area than AT&T.

Ultimately, which carrier’s map has more ink on it is moot if the carrier’s cell towers don’t reach your particular location.

That’s why geographic reach comes down to personal preference. If AT&T’s signal is stronger where you’re using your phone, it’ll be a better network for you — and the same goes for Verizon.

We’re calling this one for Verizon, though, based on the simple fact that its network covers more square miles.

Advantage: Verizon

Tethering

Verizon has said that the iPhone will come with a “Personal Hotspot” feature that will allow the phone to provide internet connectivity to up to five other devices over Wi-Fi, a feature that’s sometimes known as tethering. The company did not say if this would require an extra monthly fee or if it would be included in the basic data plans.

AT&T supports iPhone tethering but charges an additional $20 per month for the service, and it only works with one device at a time. Customers who want tethering without that fee (or who want a hotspot that can support multiple devices) can jailbreak their phones and install MyWi, an app that’s available on the Cydia store, but they risk running afoul of AT&T’s terms of service.

Advantage: Too soon to tell

Simultaneous Voice and Data

The AT&T iPhone has no trouble making phone calls and using wireless data services (such as web browsing) simultaneously.

The Verizon iPhone, like all other CDMA phones, will not be able to do this.

Advantage: AT&T

Price

It’s hard to compare this because Verizon has yet to announce data-plan prices for the iPhone. It says it will offer unlimited data plans with the phone, however.

AT&T recently phased out unlimited data, although customers who had it earlier continue to enjoy limitless data downloads for $30 per month. For newer customers, AT&T offers a choice between its $15 per month, 200-MB “DataPlus” plan and a $25 per month, 2-GB “DataPro” plan.

Both companies offer a 16-GB iPhone for $200 with a two-year contract, or a 32-GB model for $300 with a two-year contract. AT&T also offers the older iPhone 3GS for $50 with a two-year contract, but you probably don’t want last year’s model.

Will the Verizon iPhone have missing features that are available to AT&T customers? We’ll need to test it to find out.

Advantage: AT&T

AT&T’s History

AT&T was implicated in 2006 in warrantless wiretapping that the National Security Agency was allegedly doing on the carrier’s wireless network.

Subsequently, all the major U.S. carriers, including Verizon, were implicated in a lawsuit that alleged they were siphoning all electronic communications to the NSA without warrants, an allegation that the Electronic Frontier Foundation argues continues unabated today.

These allegations have not been tested in court, thanks to Congress granting lawsuit immunity to the telcos in 2008.

Advantage: Neither

White iPhones

Contrary to rumors, Verizon has said that the white iPhone 4 will not be available next month. The holdup, it appears, is with Apple, which is now promising the white model sometime this spring.